Ukraine and China are working on opening the Chinese market for Ukrainian peas, poultry meat, corn and fish products, the press service of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection said.
“China is an important market for agro-products for national exporters, therefore, on behalf of the Chairman of the State Consumer Service Sergiy Tkachuk, constant interaction between the service and the competent authority of the PRC continues. Our goal is to open seven new markets. This is a long-term process of coordination, but step by step we are succeeding,” said First Deputy Head of the State Consumer Service Oleg Osiyan at a meeting with representatives of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC).
The parties discussed draft bilateral international agreements on export of peas, wheat flour, pet food, beef, corn, poultry meat, wild-caught aquatic products from Ukraine to China. Each of the above documents is at a different stage of elaboration and harmonization.
“While the protocol on peas is at the stage of finalization of domestic harmonization in Ukraine, the texts have been sent for consideration to the competent authority of China. This is one of the markets at the final stage of opening. After the signing of the bilateral protocol, new opportunities for Ukrainian agrarian business to export peas will open up,” Deputy Head of the State Consumer Service – Chief State Phytosanitary Inspector of Ukraine Vadym Chaykovskyy emphasized.
It is recalled that the last Ukrainian product, for which the access to the Chinese market was opened, was honey. The form of health certificate for its export was agreed earlier this year.
Requirements of the destination countries of the export of food products of animal and plant origin are publicized on the official web portal of the State consumer service.
“Currently under consideration of Chinese colleagues – draft protocols on the export of poultry meat and fish. The State Consumer Service sent its proposals on the text of the protocol in the fall. The protocol on wild-caught aquatic products has already undergone domestic harmonization and is at the stage of final approval by the Chinese side. The texts of protocols on beef and pet food are also undergoing the stage of domestic approval,” said Volodymyr Kusturov, Deputy Head of the State Consumer Service – Chief State Veterinary Inspector of Ukraine.
Representatives of the State Consumer Service and GACC discussed in detail the steps of further cooperation, draft bilateral agreements, and agreed to continue active cooperation on the development of international trade between Ukraine and China.
Since 2022, Kyivstar, the largest mobile operator in Ukraine, has invested over UAH 1.9 billion in energy independence of the network and has started the second investment phase, which will include the installation of new batteries at base stations and industrial generators.
“Kyivstar, the largest electronic communications operator in Ukraine, continues to strengthen its investments in energy independence. Since 2022, the total amount of investments aimed at maintaining uninterrupted operation of the network in the face of possible power outages has amounted to more than UAH 1.9 billion,” Kyivstar’s press service said on Wednesday.
As of October 2024, 124 thousand new lithium batteries have been installed at Kyivstar base stations. The operation of key network facilities is supported by 2390 generators. More than 68% of the telecom operator’s network already has a four-hour backup power supply, the press service said.
For the Home Internet service, about 50,000 uninterruptible power supplies have been installed in 24,000 apartment buildings in 92 cities.
“The company also plans to re-backup fixed-line communications with powerful batteries and continues to deploy GPON technology, and from 2025 will build a network exclusively using this technology,” Kyivstar’s press service said.
In addition, the company has launched the second phase of investments, which includes the installation of 113 thousand new batteries at base stations and 1427 industrial generators. The process of installing additional equipment has already begun at technological sites throughout the country, the press service said.
Kyivstar’s goal is to provide 25% of the network with the ability to operate from generators and achieve a six-hour backup for all key facilities. Particular attention is paid to critical facilities identified by the National Security and Defense Council, which are provided with generating capacity to maintain communication for at least three days in the event of full-scale blackouts, the company said.
Earlier, Kyivstar President Oleksandr Komarov said that in the second quarter of 2025, the company plans to increase the battery life to six hours on 30% of the network. He said that up to 65% of the network can operate offline for up to four hours.
As of June 2024, Kyivstar served more than 23 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million fixed-line Internet subscribers.
The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cybersecurity services, and digital TV.
Kyivstar’s revenues in April-June increased by 9.5% compared to April-June 2023 to UAH 9.425 billion, and by 0.4% in dollars to $236 million. EBITDA amounted to UAH 5.585 billion or $140 million. Operating profit (EBIT) in April-June this year amounted to UAH 4.16 billion, which is 10.5% better than in April-June 2023 and almost twice as much as in January-March 2024. In the second quarter, Kyivstar’s total operating income from mobile services increased by 8.7% to UAH 8.77 billion, including 10.8% to UAH 5.18 billion from data transmission, while income from fixed-line services increased by 16.4% to UAH 0.56 billion.
Kyivstar’s shareholder is the international VEON Group, whose shares are listed on the NASDAQ (New York) and Euronext (Amsterdam) stock exchanges. In June, VEON announced that it would increase its investment in Ukraine from the current $600 million to $1 billion over five years.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua
Starting November 1, the speed limit on the roads of the Ukrainian capital will be limited to 50 km/h on all eight sections where it was allowed to drive at speeds up to 80 km/h in the spring and summer, according to the website of the Kyiv City State Administration.
These are the sections on Naberezhne Shosse (from Poshtova Square to Prydniprovske Shosse), Prydniprovske Shosse, Stolychne Shosse (to Akademika Zabolotnoho Street), Bazhana Avenue (from the Southern Bridge Crossing to Kharkivska Square), Shukhevycha Avenue (from the Northern Bridge to Balzaka Street), Bankova Avenue, and Balzaka Street. Bandera Avenue (from Obolonskyi Avenue to the Northern Bridge), Naberezhno-Rybalska Street (from Havanskyi Bridge to Elektrykiv Street), P-69 highway (from Ozerna Street to the Kyiv city border, except for the section near the traffic light facility).
In total, 105 road signs will be dismantled in the city, which allowed driving at speeds up to 80 km/h. During the works, there may be short-term partial traffic restrictions on these streets.
“Please note that the speed limit is 30 km/h on the streets near schools and kindergartens with access to the road. Speed limits are also in effect on road sections where repairs are being carried out,” the KCSA emphasized.
In January-September 2024, the number of stores of surveyed Ukrainian retailers increased by 9.5%, or 1,925 outlets, with Kyiv, Dnipro and Lviv regions leading the way, according to a study by the Ukrainian Retailers Association.
“The number of operating stores in the first nine months of this year continues to show positive dynamics. Thus, in January-September 2024, 1925 stores were opened and 649 were closed for various reasons. Accordingly, during this period, the net increase amounted to 1276 retail outlets. It should be reminded that in the first six months of 2024, 837 stores were added,” the association said in a statement.
According to the association, the largest number of stores is concentrated in Kyiv and the region – 5266 retail facilities. It also has the largest increase in retail outlets: in nine months, the number of operating stores increased by 473, including 328 closed stores.
Dnipropetrovska oblast ranks second with 2,075 operating stores. At the same time, 180 outlets were reopened or launched in the region and 64 stores were closed during the reporting period.
Lviv region is the third most concentrated retailer with 1947 retail outlets. Also, 124 new stores accounted for 56 closed ones in the first nine months.
According to the study, Odesa (1316 stores) and Kharkiv (1215) regions are also among the five most saturated regions with stores. In January-September, 98 and 97 new active outlets were recorded in these regions, respectively, while 41 and 77 were closed.
According to the association, these five regions account for more than half (54%) of all operating stores of the surveyed retailers (108 companies).
The German federal government has confirmed the increase in imports of Ukrainian grain in recent years and at the same time denied the negative impact on its market, the Bavarian trade publication Wochenblatt reported.
“Grain imports have been growing since 2022, when the Russian war against Ukraine began. Imports of feed and food grains from Ukraine to Germany reached its peak in recent years – about 741 thousand tons. In the first six months of 2024, the volumes approached 490 thousand tons,” the publication writes.
The largest share in imports is corn. In January-June 2024, Germany imported about 447 thsd tonnes of corn, while in 2023 it was 619 thsd tonnes. At the same time, in 2023, wheat imports reached almost 106 thousand tons, but from the beginning of 2024 to July 2024, only about 16.5 thousand tons were registered. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, wheat imports ranged from 6,000 to 2,000 tons.
The federal government also emphasized that it has no information about any deviations from the requirements and standards during inspections of Ukrainian grain by the official German Food and Feed Inspectorate. According to the Federal Government, food and feed imported into the EU from third countries, such as Ukraine, must comply with the requirements of the food and feed legislation in force in the EU.
This information is contained in the federal government’s response to questions from the parliamentary group Alternative for Germany.
“Corum Druzhkovka Machine-Building Plant (Corum DrMZ), a part of Corum Group (DTEK Energy), is completing the production of a second main ventilation fan to replace the worn-out analogue at Zakhidno-Donbaska mine, the plant reports on its Facebook page.
“At the end of 2023, the plant manufactured the first VSDC-4.5SM fan (left) for the same mine. The fan that is currently in production is a mirror version of the previous one,” the statement said.
The plant reminds that the main ventilation fan provides fresh air to the mine, maintaining conditions for continuous operation. The diameter of its impeller is 4.7 meters, the rated capacity is 400 cubic meters per second. The maximum power is 4000 kW.
Due to the large size of the fan and its weight (105 tons), the final assembly will be carried out during installation at the mine.
“Corum DrMZ also reminds that it mastered the production of mine fans in 2014 (after Corum lost Donetskgormash, which specialized in this equipment – IF-U).
“The plant has three fans of this type in production. However, this will be the second fan that Corum DrMZ will produce under the relocation conditions,” the statement said.
Currently, the plant is gradually shipping fan assemblies to the mine for installation.
Corum DrMZ, which was relocated to Dnipro in 2022, according to the report, produced 407 units of mining equipment in January-September 2024 (including 9 units in September), including two new and one repaired roadheader. The company also produced 695.78 thousand units of components and spare parts (69.48 thousand in September).
“The main efforts in September were focused on the production of steel structures for the concentrator, which was a new experience for the company,” the plant said.
Corum Group is a leading manufacturer of mining equipment in Ukraine. It is a part of DTEK Energy, an operating company responsible for coal mining and coal-fired power generation within Rinat Akhmetov’s DTEK energy holding.
